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Frank Grillo Might Be Crossbones Villain in 'Captain America' Sequel?

Fans might be a little disappointed or worried that Hugo Weaving doesn't want to return as Red Skull, but when it comes to the sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier, that doesn't seem to be a problem. Aside from what villain the title implicates (we talk a little bit about that in this post about Anthony Mackie playing Cap's sidekick The Falcon), it sounds like another bad guy will give Steve Rogers a run for his money. Comic Book Movie noticed a Twitter update from radio host Matthew Aaron indicating that Warrior and "Prison Break" star Frank Grillo had tested for the villain role in the upcoming sequel. More below!

In addition to his own vague update, Aaron also sent a reply to comic artist Brian Michael Bendis saying, "Have it on reliable authority that Frank Grillo is THIS CLOSE to getting the role of Crossbones in the Marvel movies." But a rumor from a radio host twice in one day hardly constitutes a fact. But this bit of news was corroborated by the actor himself. In a Twitter update that has since been deleted, Grillo said:

"See Ya LA. It was a a good trip. Marvel was a lot of fun. Be cool if it works out. #CaptainAmerica."

Grillo is getting a lot of great roles lately, including small parts in End of Watch, Gangster Squad and Zero Dark Thirty. He would mark the second somewhat lesser known actor to get a big Marvel villain role after Tom Hiddleston took on the role of Loki for Thor and eventually The Avengers. This would undoubtedly boost Grillo's career to great heights, and if he's as close to getting the role as the above source indicates, we should have an official announcement soon.

So who is Crossbones? Well, funnily enough, he's normally a henchman of Red Skull. In the comics, he was behind the assassination of Captain America. Since it doesn't sound like Red Skull will be back for the sequel (unless Hugo Weaving is really good at misdirection), maybe Crossbones ends up being the sidekick of The Winter Soldier? It's hard to say, but the cool thing about Crossbones is his role in Marvel's Civil War storyline. Maybe that epic storyline will be part of Phase Three of Marvel's cinematic universe? It's a longshot, especially since a bunch of characters in that storyline are at Fox, but we can dream. Either way, it sounds like Cap will be tangling with a couple of villains this time, so stay tuned.